Victorian Costuming

Category Archives: 1838-40 Green Queen V

If I don’t look globally and only focus on my own front door, 2016 has been pretty good. DECEMBER 2016 can bite me, but 2016 as a whole has been fine for me and mine. I hope 2017 is a good one as well. And to my 4 readers, you know I wish you well too.

Blogger traditions says I must do a completed projects run down.

First on the list is that dumb cloak that never did hang right and I never had occasion to wear (thank God).

Then there was several knitting projects, most have not yet been used. I just don’t costume in the winter much. Going outside sucks.

The first pair are fingerless gloves

Then came all the parts for the Spanish Senora dress-blouse, skirt, jacket, belt and hat.

The lace cap is the part of the Spanish dress I am most pleased with.

More knitting…a tulma that I did actually wear.

And more modern knitting.

Then I fixed my garage sale find loom…still haven’t used it.

I made some steam punk earrings. Which were worn once for the steam punk tea at Coco and never again.

And I made some wings for the Coco gala.

I made the Ugly Bag of Tea Gown less hideous…again for Coco.

Atessa was the dress I was most pleased with this year.

My first attempt at leather gloves.

My second attempt was meant to be completed on time for the final HSF challenge of the year and as my final completed project of the year…but as I said earlier, December 2016 can bite me. I’m too grumpy to be bothered and we all know what happens when we push through when the mood is off.

There was some more knitting. Not shown is neck warmer for my son…turns out I made it too big and I’m now making a smaller one.

And finally a pretty nice bag.

Knitting was a real theme this year. I should probably reduce that for next year or actually get out of the house in costume during the winter. Or stick to modern stuff…but how much does one actually need…even in winter.

I had big plans to wear all my dresses this year but that didn’t happen. I blame my new job…not having vacation time, Shirley and I were not able to go to Saskatchewan for the Dickens Festival. That trip alone would have had at least 4 dresses out and about.

But lets see how well I did.

1838-40 Queen V dress. Check. That was worn at the Coco Gala.

1845 Atessa dress was worn for Halloween.

The 1860’s Silky Skies dress got put on for this photo but I can’t figure out where I wore it. I wouldn’t have put all that on for a chance to try on the apron!

Oh, wait! Good ol’ Facebook! According to Facebook I wore Silky Skies to the 7 Oaks Museum. For some reason, those photos didn’t get posted here! I will remedy that next post!

1861 Senora dress was worn to the St Boniface Museum this year.

1872 Basque in Blue was used during Coco’s Steam Punk Tea.

My 1872 Lilac dream was worn to a play (I had almost forgotten about this fun event!)

1873 Purple Polonaise went to Little Britain Church.

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress was used during the Circus themed social at Coco.

The 1882 Tea Gown finally got a real wearing during the Sunday breakfast with the artists at Coco. I still don’t love the gown but I no longer loath it.

My 1890’s swim suit was worn by the pool Friday night at Coco.

My 1895 Summer Ensemble made an appearance at the Steam Punk wedding.

1900 Widows Weeds got worn twice. Once by myself at a celebration and fashion show at work…

…and once by another person at the Vaughn Street Jail event last spring. (Serious nip tucking needed on the dress for this event.)

Four dresses didn’t make the cut this year: 1840’s Copper Penny, 1850’s Tea Dress, 1895 dinner gown, 1895 Walking outfit. It is probably best that I have only one dress on the docket for 2017. If I can’t get them all worn, then I have to slow down production. Or I have to part with some of them (gasp!) Trouble with that is, if I am disenchanted enough to be willing to part with one of my babies, I am disenchanted enough to feel that no one actually would want it! Then factor in size…nah. I’m just going to have to find more times to wear them or set my goal to “wear once every two years”.

I kept myself hoping on Coco Saturday. I saw the market and picked up a few things. To be shared at a later date.

I caught a few classes. The short course, Millinery Mock ups clued me into why my bonnets don’t like to stay on my head. I saw Leimomi’s talk “From Boteh to Paisley” and her talk on her experiment living as a woman in New Zealand would in 1916. That was so cool! I wish I could do that but in the Victorian Era.

(I forgot to mention the talk by Suzi Clark on the write up for Friday. It was really a sharing of her career in costuming. She was a very interesting speaker. She knew some of the big names in costuming personally. And she was pretty personable. I spoke with her a couple of times through out the weekend. Such a nice person!)

I saw the Gallery of Costumes as well. Some really impressive works there!

There was the Red Carpet and the Gala in the evening. For financial reasons, I opted out of the dinner but did join the group for the dancing afterwards.

Well, I don’t really dance any more but I did sway to the beat! Here are my top picks for that night.

And top billing goes to the Worth Gown Reproduction! I literally sobbed when I saw it!

My goal this year was to wear every dress I have made. How can I justify making more dresses if I can’t manage to wear the ones I have already? How did I do?

1838- 40 Green Queen V dress

I wore my Green Queen dress to the Dickens Festival.

1840’s Copper Penny dress.

Also worn at the Dickens Festival.

1850’s Tea Dress

This is what Shirley and I wore the first night at the Dickens Festival. I also wore the 1870’s shawl so kinda two for one.

1860 Silky Skies dress

Dickens again. I got a lot of mileage out of this outing. Two for one again as I wore the 1871 mantle with it.

1860 Sontag. There is a miss there. I wanted to wear it with the dress above but it was too big. But strictly speaking it isn’t a dress so we wont count it against my goal.

1870-90 Pineapple Shawl. I still don’t have anything to wear that with so another miss, but again, it isn’t a dress so that doesn’t count.

1872 Basque in blue.

I wore this to our Halloween event. I also wore my 1871 Mantle with this so it got used twice this year (after lounging in my closet for a couple of years!)

1872 Lilac Dream

All aboard! The Prairie Dog train ride.

1873 Polonaise

First outing with our tiny group’s newest member Lottie

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress-Doh! This is a definite miss! I did have plans to wear it but an event or two got cancelled because of weather and this is one of the dresses that didn’t make the cut. It has gotten a lot of wear other years.

1880’s travel outfit-dang! Another one that got missed. Also due to weather.

1882 Tea Gown (aka Ugly Bag of Tea Gown). First time ever. That is a win right?

Me in my Tea Gown reading how to be a Victorian. It got worn but didn’t see the light of day or other humans other than Shirley.

1890’s swim suit

Halloween costume for work.

1895 dinner gown

Out for dinner.

1895 Summer Ensemble

To my favorite house museum

1895 walking outfit

Again, at my favorite house museum.

1900 Widows Weeds

At the old jail.

So not too bad. Two dresses that got a lot of wear in years past, didn’t get worn because of cancelled events. I think I can justify making two more…

The plan is one like this black one.

The black will be done in reds and the blue will be cream and black. I want to use my vintage treadle machine for this one. The challenge will be to use as many of the attachments as possible.

And the paisley material I bought at the Dickens Festival will become something like this…I hope to make more accessories as well and I hope they will get some use! I also hope to wear the two dresses I didn’t get to wear this year…we have to keep it fair after all.

I have been thinking about an event in December that I can wear my 1838-40 Green Queen V gown. But there is so much skin exposed and I fear I may die of exposure trying to get to the event.

Long elbow length gloves and a muff may help if I am not outside to long but those shoulders are in grave danger. I was looking at some photos at the Met site to see if there is something I could come up with that suits the era, and that would be simple enough to draft up and sew. I came up with this.

This cotton example would be a bit plain for a dress designed after a Queen Victoria dress but if I do the outer layer in green (which I may have enough left over to do that) and then do the lining in a faux fur it would look regal enough for the gown. I could also add a modern interlining of fleece if I really fear freezing.

The $100 question is if I can find the cash for the faux fur and fleece and the time to whip this up.